thumb|Miniature of Gregory the Great writing, from a 12th-century copy of his Dialogues
The Dialogues () of Gregory the Great, completed in 593, is a collection of four books.
The first three are of miracles, signs, wonders, and healings done by the holy, mostly men, in Italy.
Notably the second book focuses on the life of Benedict of Nursia (more commonly known as Saint Benedict), and "... is the fullest source for this subject".
"[The] fourth book of the Dialogues is primarily a treatise to prove the existence of invisible realities, mainly the soul and the afterlife."
Summary
Writing in Latin in a time of plague and war, Gregory structured his work as a conversation between himself and Peter, a deacon.
"It is clear from the general preface in Book 1 that St.
Gregory's chief reason for writing the Dialogues was to honor
the memory of the saints of Italy and to edify and instruct
his fellow countrymen. He wanted them to realize that they
were living in a land of saints and that great miracles were
as numerous among the Fathers(sic) of Italy as they had been
among the Fathers of the Desert and elsewhere."
Reception
The Dialogues were the most popular of Gregory's works during the Middle Ages, and in modern times have received more scholarly attention than the rest of his works combined. From this, the author himself is sometimes known as Gregory the Dialogist.
Pope Zachary () translated the Dialogues into Greek.
References
External links
Text
- A critical edition of the entire Dialogues in Latin with a Greek translation, in Sancti Gregorii Papae I, cognomento Magni, opera omnia jam olim ad manuscriptos codices Romanos, Gallicanos, Anglicanos emendata, aucta, & illustrata notis, studio & labore Monachorum Ordinis Sancti Benedicti, e Congregatione Sancti Mauri, published by Carobolus and Pompeiatus in Venice in 1769.
- Partial text of the Dialogues, including the preface and book 2, at the Bibliotheca Augustana